GAZA CITY, Palestine 

Hamas on Saturday conveyed its condolences to the Lebanese people and Hezbollah following the death of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike.

In a statement, Hamas extended its "heartfelt condolences and solidarity" to the people of Lebanon and "brothers in Hezbollah" after the "martyrdom of Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and a group of fellow martyr leaders."

Hamas also condemned the ongoing Israeli aggression in both Lebanon and Palestine, placing the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the US government.

“The American administration bears full responsibility for its continued support of the occupation, its silence, and its failure to condemn, criminalize, or stop this Zionist terrorism against the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples," the statement read.

The statement follows an escalation in hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, with heavy bombardment across the Lebanese-Israeli border in recent weeks.

Hamas further reiterated its commitment to the resistance saying: "The martyrdom of these leaders will only serve to strengthen the unity of our struggle.”

Earlier in a statement on Saturday, the Israeli army claimed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was “liquidated” during an operation targeting the central command of Hezbollah located beneath a residential building in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Hezbollah confirmed the claims later on.

Since Monday, the Israeli army has launched its "most intense and wide-reaching" assault on Lebanon since its confrontations with Hezbollah began about a year ago.

In response, Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli military sites, settlements, and even the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv, with a strict blackout on Israeli casualties and damage, according to observers.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,600 victims, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.

The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of turning the Gaza conflict into a regional war.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara